Attempted Robbery M7 ATF AU
by senorabutterfly
Summary: The boys' pizza dinner gets interrupted... Not mine, no profit made.


Attempted Robbery M7 ATF AU

The seven members of the ATF team looked around the small rural town they found themselves in. They'd busted some moonshiners in the mountains nearby and were now ready for dinner before they headed back to Denver.

Spying a pizza place near the town square, they headed that direction, hoping that the restaurant was still open since it was almost seven and most of the local shops appeared to be closed already.

When they arrived, Nathan stuck his head in. A lady with light brown hair who looked to be in her forties was standing just inside.

"Ma'am." Nathan gave a polite nod. "Alright if we come in?"

The woman smiled encouragingly at him.

"Of course. Come on in, and welcome. We're open until eight."

"Thank ya, ma'am." The medic motioned to the rest of the group that it was fine.

The other six trouped inside, pausing in front of the hostess.

The brunette greeted them all amiably, and led them to a large round table against the far wall. There were only a couple of other groups of people, since it was a Tuesday night, and while they looked interested they didn't appear unduly concerned with the entrance of the impressive agents.

Chris and Vin took seats with their backs against the wall. The others ranged themselves around them in a familiar manner. The men had eaten together so much that it was almost like they had assigned seating. They did occasionally vary the order, but not often.

The hostess got their drink orders and hurried off to fill them, stopping to have a short conversation with a young blonde who didn't look over eighteen.

The pizza parlor offered beer and wine coolers, so the men had all chosen beer except for JD.

Once the group had their drinks, the young waitress came over. She was a bit timid at first, obviously a little intimidated by the impressive men. All of them however, including Chris, made an effort to be friendly and as unimposing as possible and she soon appeared more comfortable in their presence.

Vin and JD were starving as usual and the rest of the group found themselves fairly hungry as well, since they'd eaten nothing since an early lunch several hours before. Trying to accommodate everyone's tastes and appetites, they ordered three different pizzas and two large servings of cheese breadsticks. The smell was enticing and the men settled down to wait patiently for their food, stomachs rumbling occasionally in anticipation

The team talked animatedly as they waited, sipping on their drinks and munching on the tiny triangles of garlic bread and red sauce that the restaurant provided as free appetizers.

When the pizzas came, the whole group tucked into their food with gusto. Even Ezra helped himself to a couple of slices of the supreme and dusted them with a generous helping of mozzarella from the shaker on the table. Two breadsticks joined the slices on his plate before JD and Vin could wipe them out, both men acting like they hadn't eaten in days instead of five or six hours. They chatted and told jokes in between bites, the rest shaking their heads and groaning at some of the bad ones Dunne insisted on sharing.

When they finished with their meal, including two chocolate chip dessert pizzas that Vin and JD had ordered and shared with the table, the group leaned back and took a few minutes to finish their drinks and let their food settle. It was almost eight and they were just placing their money for the meal on the servers' tray and adding a generous tip when the young blonde came scurrying up to Chris with a scared look on her face. The lead agent was worried that one of them had upset her for a minute, until he saw that the fear wasn't directed at them. In fact, she looked relieved as he turned to meet her gaze.

"You're lawmen, right?" her voice was breathless as she leaned in close, pretending to wipe the table in front of him. The other customers had already left, so the team members were the only ones left in the dining room.

The hairs on the back of Chris' neck stood on end in warning.

"Federal agents. What's happening?" The green eyes captured the frightened girl's and seemed to steady her as he spoke quietly. The others stopped talking and leaned in to listen intently.

"Two men are at the drive-up window demanding all the money. They've got a gun pointed at Mr. Romano, the owner." Her eyes were wide.

Chris immediately took charge. "Alright…" he paused to read her nametag. "Alright Kelly, point me to the window and tell us where the back door is and then you go get under one the tables on the far side and stay there until one of us tells you it's safe to come out." The gaze turned to the other team members. "Vin, you Buck and JD head out the front and circle to the drive-up lane. Josiah, you and Nathan find the back door and come up behind 'em."

The blond turned to the undercover agent. "Ezra, I'm not slighting you but I need you to stay here and make sure that Kelly and the hostess are safe, just in case there are more of them or that something goes wrong."

The chestnut head nodded.

"Of course, Chris." One hand reached for the Glock holstered on his side. Kelly gave Chris directions to the drive-up window at the front of the kitchen and pointed Josiah and Nathan to the rear exit. She then went and got under one of the tables like Chris had instructed her. Ezra quickly moved the older lady to the same area so that they would all three be more out of the line of any stay bullets.

Chris looked at the other five. "I'll count to ten, then make my move on the window. You all make sure the robbers don't go anywhere when I do."

Each man nodded and then they split up, Buck, JD, and Vin crouching and running for the front doors as Nathan and Josiah sprinted for the back one that Kelly had pointed out to them.

Chris stood like a panther poised to spring as he silently counted to ten and then fluidly moved through the door to the kitchen. The drive-up window was in a tiny alcove at the front of the area and hidden from the door by a partial wall. Chris flattened himself out of sight for a moment while he memorized the lay of the room, then he crouched and ran silently to the wall just behind the window. An older man stood there silently fuming as he pulled out bills and stuffed them into an empty pizza box. As he bent to get the larger bills from a box under the cash drawer, he caught a glimpse of the imposing agent out of the corner of his eye. Chris motioned for the man to lie flat on the floor and when the older gentleman immediately did as instructed, Chris stepped around and aimed his pistol at the two men in the truck outside the opening.

"Federal agents… drop your weapons out the windows of the vehicle and place your hands in front of you on the dash." When the driver looked like he might raise his gun a little higher, Chris tightened his finger on the trigger with a chilling smile. "Go ahead… it's been a while since I've shot anyone and I think I'm gettin' withdrawal symptoms…"

The driver's hand froze in place at the soft but extremely dangerous tone. The words were almost sociable, but the unholy grin that looked like it was filled with anticipation was terrifying and the dark figure's hand was rock-steady as it aimed the barrel of the 9mm directly at his heart.

The young man in the passenger seat took one look at the dangerous form inside the restaurant and dropped his pistol out the open window on his side. His hands moved to shakily rest on the dash in a show of compliance. Both were so riveted on the dark avenging angel in the window that neither had noticed the other men who had come up on each end of them.

"Looks like your partner has some sense anyway. How about you? Are you gonna drop the gun or do I have to make you drop it by puttin' one in your heart?" A wicked, feline grin curved the sculpted mouth. "It's all the same to me either way."

The driver looked at the icy eyes, feeling a shiver of doom crawl up his spine at the sight of the focused gaze that was boring into his chest just over his heart. With a shudder, he threw out the snub-nosed .38 he held. His hand then reached to throw the truck in reverse and get the hell out of there, but a deep rumble like the voice of God stopped him.

"You better be prepared to meet your maker son, if you do what you're thinkin' about." Two big men who looked like a wall of stone stepped up behind the vehicle, guns pointed at the occupants. With a frantic look, the driver swung his gaze forward, but three more figures blocked his way there. One was tall and had a look like an avenging angel himself. The second one was shorter and slender, but his gun was aimed rock-solid at the driver's forehead and the look he wore reminded the boys of a cougar ready to pounce. Even the smallest of the three looked like death on a rampage, two 9mm pistols pointed at them, one focused on each. Realizing there was nowhere to go, the driver carefully leaned forward to place his hands on the dash as well.

"Alright… alright! I'm doin' what ya said! It ain't worth dyin' over a few measly dollars. Don't shoot!"

Chris held his position, the tiny smile still curving his lips. What sounded like a hint of disappointment colored his voice as he answered the would-be robber.

"Damn… guess you turned out to have some sense after all. Alright, just sit tight until my boys come get you out. And don't even think about resistin'… I've still got this itch to shoot somethin'…"

JD moved carefully up to the driver's side while Buck approached the passenger door. Vin covered the duo from the front and JD ducked to be sure he didn't get between Chris and the driver. Josiah and Nathan remained behind the vehicle to make sure the two men didn't try to bolt.

Buck opened the passenger door with one hand and pulled the kid out and pushed him up against the front fender, right hand still pointing his gun at the fellow.

The truck was too close to the wall of the building for JD to be able to get the driver out, so the kid simply waited until Buck had searched and cuffed the passenger and then he stuck one of his pistols in the window and motioned for the driver to slide across the seat to where Wilmington waited. One hand pulled his cuffs out and the young agent flipped them over the top of the truck to his partner, who caught them without ever removing his eyes from the second would-be robber. Nathan had moved up to take charge of the already cuffed man while Vin and Josiah kept up their watchful vigil. Chris had lowered his gun so that JD could stand, but kept the weapon in his hand until the driver was pulled out by Buck and cuffed as well.

Letting out a sigh of relief that no one had gotten hurt, Chris finally holstered his pistol and reached down to help the restaurant owner to his feet. The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. When Chris raised one eyebrow, Mr. Romano showed him the panic button under the cash register shelf that he'd pushed when the two robbers first pulled their guns on him.

The pizza parlor owner was effusively and genuinely grateful to the visiting agents. Chris just told the man that he was glad the team was there and could help so quickly.

When the local sheriff and his deputy arrived, Buck and JD had the two perpetrators cuffed to the rail outside the front of the restaurant. Neither was past their mid-twenties and both kept switching their gaze fearfully between the dangerously smiling dark-clad avenger who sat with his hand ominously near his holstered gun as if daring them to try to escape and the lean cougar-looking agent that kept smirking at them as he played with a huge hunting knife.

"Hey, Abe! Get us out of here! These guys are crazy!" One of the prisoners pleaded desperately as the sheriff walked up.

"Yeah, take us to jail or whatever. Just don't let them fellas near us!" the second one agreed with a whine that made Chris wish he had shot him, just to shut him up.

The aging sheriff walked up and looked the scene over with no attempt at hiding his grin.

"Luke, Josh… I thought I told you boys the last time that I wasn't puttin' up with your shit anymore? I ought to just let these fellas do whatever they want with ya, just to get ya out of my hair." He turned to Chris, who he determined was the leader of the seven men he saw. One big paw was held out in greeting.

"Abe Stevens, local sheriff. This is Hank, my deputy. You boys must be the federal agents we were told would be around."

Chris rose to his feet and shook the sheriff's hand. Abe was shorter than Chris, but outweighed him by about sixty pounds or more. Hank was a tall, skinny man who looked to be in his mid-thirties.

"Special Agent Chris Larabee. This is the rest of my team." Chris proceeded to introduce the other six.

"Chris Larabee? THE Chris Larabee? Head of the ATF team they call The Magnificent Seven?" Abe sounded both impressed and amused.

The lean leader got a wry look on his face. "I guess that would be us. Surprised you've heard of us."

Stevens' grin got even larger. "Heard of you? Hell, we get all eager when they print a new story about y'all in one of them law enforcement newsletters. Readin' about you boys' experiences is usually as close to excitement as we get around here." Brown eyes turned to flick dismissively over the two prisoners, who were looking a little confused at the moment. "Except for the occasional attempt by Josh and Luke there to pretend they're dangerous outlaws, of course. Ain't got enough brains between the two of 'em to fill a teacup, though. They've been caught more times than I can count on both hands. Reckon the judge ain't gonna be too lenient this time. Bein' born stupid ain't an excuse for not learning your lesson eventually."

Luke and Josh scowled at the sheriff for a minute, but dropped their eyes when Larabee's icy glare bored into them. Jeezus, that man was downright creepy!

Abe saw the exchange and his smile turned a little evil in its own right.

"Reckon you boys are lucky you just got detained and cuffed to a rail." The sheriff waved a hand to encompass the seven impressive agents standing around or casually leaning on the wall or a post. "These fellers are the top team in the ATF. Most arrests, most convictions, and most all-around dangerous bad asses in the country." He chuckled at the surprised look that overtook both attempted robbers' faces. A meaty finger pointed at 'the cougar man' as the pair thought of him.

"That there's Tanner. He's one of the best snipers and sharpshooters in the whole country. Heard that he can split a rope with one shot. If he gets his scope trained on ya, ya best just bend over and kiss your ass goodbye."

Josh and Luke had turned a sickly shade of green. Enjoying himself, Stevens turned to wave a genial hand at Chris.

"And this is one of the most dangerous men in any law enforcement unit anywhere. He's hell on wheels with that handgun. Folks who've seen 'im shoot swear he's the reincarnation of some old west gunslinger. Faster'n a strikin' rattler and deadlier than anything you can think of. He points a gun at ya, you're gonna need to be fitted for a pine box if he wants ya to be, don't matter how fast ya are. Guess you're just lucky he was in a good mood tonight!"

The two young men had now gone from green to ghostly white. Both sets of eyes were riveted on the dark-clad agent with a look of horrified fascination.

Playing to his captive audience, Chris let the predatory grin that reminded people of a big cat curve up his lips, teeth gleaming white in the neon lights of the pizza sign. His eyes had gone to the icy jade green that did indeed resemble a sleek, dangerous panther. One hand toyed absently with the handle of his 9mm as he stared at the two now quivering prisoners with a steady gaze like that of a jungle cat watching its prey.

"_Good_ mood? Shit, he wanted us to resist so he could put a bullet through our hearts! Get us the hell outta here!" Josh was almost pleading by the time he finished. The whole team chuckled evilly, more predatory smiles curving well-sculpted lips.

Abe ignored the high-pitched whine of Luke as he whimpered in fear. The sheriff smiled at Chris and the others. "Sure would love to hear a few of you boys' stories! From what I've read and seen, you've had some mighty interestin' busts. It true that Wilmington here jumped off a roof one time to stop a perp?"

Chris' grin became genuinely amused as he remembered the case the older lawman spoke of.

"Yep. Three stories up." Chris answered. "Looked like a damn giant bat swoopin' down on that guy."

Ezra chuckled at the memory. He'd looked up and seen Buck preparing to jump and just knew the explosives expert was going to bust his head open. Instead Wilmington landed right on his target and they both plunged into the artificial lake of the landscaped grounds.

When the two local LEOs looked at him in amazement, Buck just shrugged.

"Was out of ammo and didn't have any dynamite." White teeth gleamed under the dark mustache.

"Ya nearly gave me a heart attack Buck! I thought for sure your brains were gonna be splattered all over the ground until I heard that splash." Nathan shot a chiding look at the grinning ladies' man.

Hank spoke up then. "I was at a law enforcement conference where Agent Larabee was competing in a shooting situation simulation. I wasn't close enough to see it, but the ones that were said that he grouped seven shots close enough together to be covered with a half dollar. That true?"

Vin shook his head. "Naw, that's not quite the truth."

Hank looked disappointed until the sniper continued. "Actually he put 'em close enough to be covered with a quarter. They went almost in the same hole ever' time."

Both cops gaped at the quiet gunman. "Jeezus…" Hank whispered in awe. Abe grinned and stuck out his hand.

"Remind me to stay on your good side, Agent Larabee!"

The two prisoners had gone silent, much to the relief of the surrounding officers and agents.

The sheriff and his deputy stayed a bit longer asking questions and chuckling at a few stories the team were willing to tell. After a half hour or so, Stevens apologized for keeping the men. Buck uncuffed the prisoners from the rail and Hank took the now unresisting men to the sheriff's SUV.

"Thank you fellas for helpin' out. Luke ain't too much of a worry, but Josh is gettin' a little bolder. This is the first time he's actually held a loaded gun on someone. Reckon the judge'll decide to put him away for a while this time. We've got you fellers' statements, but you may get called to testify when the trial starts."

Chris nodded. "That's fine. We'll be glad to testify if we need to. You can leave a message with our director and he'll make sure we get it."

Abe nodded. "That'll do. Have a good night gents." The sheriff tipped his hat and nodded at the men and then strolled to his vehicle, obviously in no hurry to accede to his prisoner's demands to "get the hell outta here!"

The owner of the pizza parlor had made a couple of dessert pizzas for his rescuers while they gave their statements to the sheriff and deputy. His wife, who was the hostess, filled to go glasses with the group's chosen beverages. They had let the waitress, Kelly, go after she gave her statement since she was a little shook up. She'd left messages of gratitude for Chris and the rest of the team, though.

The agents just waved the thanks away. It was amazing how many times things like that seemed to happen, but they sure were handy to have around when there was an attempted robbery!

By DMA


End file.
